Lead singer of Taking Back Sunday discusses songwriting process and the band’s new album

Music is storytelling between musicians and their fans. Taking Back Sunday is a band that perpetuates this dialogue.

“The most rewarding thing is just seeing people connect with the songs that we’ve written and hearing people’s stories in relation to the songs,” said Adam Lazzara, lead singer of emo/post-punk band, which will play at downtown’s House of Blues on Friday. The band just released its sixth full-length album, entitled “Happiness Is,” last week.

Taking Back Sunday, currently touring the U.S., assembled its original lineup, featuring guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper, after about seven years apart to make 2011’s self-titled album.

Taking Back Sunday

Lazzara, 32, talked about touring and the new album from his home in North Carolina.

Q: So, at this point, you’ve played hundreds of shows with Taking Back Sunday. What’s your approach to keep each show fresh and new?

A: For us, we try to treat each show like it’s kind of like our first and last one. … It’s funny, we just got back a few days ago from a quick run in Europe, and our drummer, Mark, before the show he was pacing around and he was like, ‘Why am I nervous? We’ve done this so many times!’ And then we were all talking about it, and I think the second we don’t get nervous or anxious right before we play is probably about around the time we should stop.

Q: So where did the new album “Happiness Is” come from? What state of mind were you in when you penned those lyrics?

A: “Stood a Chance” is one of the songs that we recently released and made a video for, and then it wasn’t until I went back to watch the video, and it was like the third or fourth time I watched it. … I’m sitting back and listening to the words and realizing that it’s very autobiographical, when at the time that wasn’t my intention when I sat down to write it. I actually thought I was writing about something completely different.

Q: In writing, it seems like the more you try to force a theme, the worse it is, rather than letting people read their own experience into it.

A: It’s always just kind of like trial and error. That’s one of the cool things about it, too — nothing’s ever really done, it’s just always kind of ever-evolving. And then with each new person that reads it or listens to it, it’s going to take on this new form. So it’s ever-changing, and I think that’s pretty cool.

Q: I think that’s what gave TBS’ first album, “Tell All Your Friends,” so much longevity, to the point where you could do a tour commemorating it 10 years later and it would still be relevant for thousands of people.

A: Yeah, well that just blew my mind — that whole tour, just to see how many folks those songs (touched). That’s the kind of stuff you hope for every time you go in and write a song and put it out there.